1. Advanced Technical Writing 2006
Session #11
Advanced Technical Writing 2006

2. Today In Class Next steps for P1 publication Review: P2 project ideas
Show-n-tell your Exercise: Just the FAQ’s, ma’am
Performing a Content Audit
“Objects”: what’s the fuss?

3. Here’s what you did… http://msutoday.msu.edu
1. Pick any news release issued by MSU lately…
2. Turn it into a FAQ list
3. Propose a format for future press releases that would allow for easy re-purposing into a FAQ list
Refer to the genre analysis categories.
They’ll be a good guide.

4. a text; or a collection of texts objects & actions; social space
Today’s focus…
Emphasizes the point of view of
A Focus on
Sees the site as
Genre and features
a text; or a collection of texts
the reader/user
Structure & Delivery
objects & actions; social space
the designers & developers
Production Models & Workflows
a workplace
the admins and “authors”

5. What is a Content Audit?
A process of identifying all of the various information types that are important to an organization.
The purpose? To determine how content is used, reused and delivered.
Often, reuse is done the old fashioned way…

6. Traditional Methods of Reuse
Author finds a piece of content they want to reuse, usually in an existing document.
Cut and paste old content into a new file or edit an existing file.
Rewrite, add/delete material and re-format to fit with current situation.

7. Moving toward systematic reuse…the process of a CA
Determine scope of the audit
Gather sample materials
Analyze Content
Top level  identify common pieces of information
In-depth  study elements identified as similar in top-level
Two important matrices result…

8. Top-Level Analysis Matrix
Content Unit
Logo
Contact Info
Course Description
Projects
Ethics Clause
Information Products
Syllabus Schedule Website

9. Are all these “projects” the same?
Going in-depth
Content Unit
Logo
Contact Info
Course Description
Projects
Ethics Clause
Information Products
Syllabus Schedule Website
Are all these “projects” the same?

10. Reuse Map Content Unit Information Products Syllabus Schedule Website
Logo
Contact Info
Course Description
Projects
Ethics Clause
Information Products
Syllabus Schedule Website I I D I I I I
S/I D I
S/I
I = identical S= source
D= derivative

11. What is an information model?
“the ‘catalog’ of all the information products…it outlines the necessary information elements for each, based on a thorough analysis of your audiences and their information needs”
Rockley p. 161

12. What role does an IM play in a unified content strategy?
“In a unified content strategy, you break content down into objects, and rather than write documents, you write objects that are stored in your repository. Elements [objects] are then compiled into information products from that repository.” Rockley p. 161
Actually, I would say that there is another step… “views” ...more later…

13. Information models start with analysis
The genre analysis and content audit should give you a sense of what information products are important…what objects these are made of…and what objects are candidates for reuse.
The information modeling process is a systematic effort to define the structure of all the reusable objects and information products.

14. Remember the Reuse Map? Content Unit Information Products
Logo
Contact Info
Course Description
Projects
Ethics Clause
Information Products
Syllabus Schedule Website I I D I I I
Model!
Model? I S D I S
Model?
Model!

15. Information Modeling Steps, 1
Identify information products and objects for modeling
Work out the granularity of the model; consider that word and character-level objects may be attributes
Go back through and identify useful “container objects” (e.g. memo header)
Define semantic (meaning) and “base” (what I called “logical”) elements

16. Semantic & Base Elements
Semantic label
Base element
In XML…
What might these be in HTML?
Instructor Name
Container
First Name
Last Name
PCDATA
Course description
Paragraph
See Rockley p. 171

17. Information Modeling Steps, 2
Specify “required” and “optional” elements in information products* (not in Rockley’s model…)
Specify reuse guidelines for each object
And now you are ready to think about how users will view these objects…and that may change things some…

18. …the information model…
Semantic Label
Element Type
Base Elements
Reuse Map
Info product 1
Info product 2
Format 1
Format 2
XML PCDATA; HTML <H2>
Systematic,Semantic
Course Title
Element; required
Catalogue: Locked
Web: Locked

19. Analyzing a Website’s UI

20. UI Analysis Steps
Begin by creating Use-Cases based on a task analysis of the site
Find views that support your task analysis; note views that are missing
Identify objects for each view; note objects that seem to be missing
Match Objects with Information Model & Views w/ information products (not all objects = text)
Review use cases, suggest new views & objects where necessary

21. Step 1 : Use Case Task Analysis
A use case task analysis considers users as actors, and develops a use case for each role an actor might play on a site; users usually play different roles (eg. Student, employee).
A use case is simply a narrative description of a task scenario for an actor, usually created by watching people actually use the site

22. Step 1, part 2 : Use Case Task Analysis
By identifying all the possible actors (roles users might play) and developing use cases for each, you can get a good idea of the interactions a site is intended to support

23. A Use Case Task Analysis Example…
Considering the IT program website, we might identify the following actors:
Distance Education Masters Student
Faculty member
Note: use cases are hard to create if your actors are vague categories…try to be specific!

24. Step 2: Find Objects Several things you can do:
1. Take a look at the narrative use case you developed. Look at the nouns and use them to identify objects.
2. Use the site and watch others use the site. Much like we did with our analysis of the movie review, make a list of the objects you see being used…and why
3. Compare the two…any missing?

25. Find Objects Example
Consider the Use case for the following actors on the IT program website:
Distance Education Masters Student
Faculty member/ M.S. Advisor
What are some objects each is likely to encounter?
Are there objects not currently there that might help each use case?

26. Step 3 : Find Views
A “View” is a coherent grouping of objects that shows some sensitivity to the users’ intended goals.
A view allows users to see the objects and, hopefully, presents them in an easy to use manner. Sometimes, objects are hidden to make specific tasks easier.
A view is not always a whole “Screen.” A nav. bar, for example, offers a view of navigation control objects.

27. View Examples
On the IT website, information about faculty members is given in what we might call a “Faculty Information View”
Each listing includes the following:
What task(s) does this view seem to support?
Name Research Interests
Degree Dept. on Campus
Graduated from…

28. Step 4: Match up Objects with information model, views w/ information products
Matching objects with objects is straightforward, just watch for things that might be overlapping in some way
Identify visual cues for relationships among objects where you can; X is part of Y because…
You probably need to think smaller than “a page” to account for all of the necessary views

29. Step 5 : Identify New Views, Objects for use cases
When you combine your use cases and maps of views and objects with your information model you might find it helpful to:
Create new use cases or modify existing ones
Suggest new views and objects

30. The exercise today…
Try creating an information model using the Rockley chart for just one information product you will be dealing with.
The goal of this exercise is to generate questions…things you need clarification, futher examples of, etc.

31. Next Time… Review of “Objects and Views” and your Questions
Workflows & Production Model Analysis
Read Rockley Ch. 5 & 7; Prior Ch. 7 In B&P